Sacramento County Sheriffs Deputies have been engaged in a standoff Friday with an armed individual at an Orangevale apartment complex, prompting evacuations of nearby residences, according to sheriff’s officials.
Deputies responded to the scene along Madison Avenue near Madison Green Lane, where the suspect, Steven Richard Kester, who reportedly faces legal proceedings related to allegations of child sex offenses. Kester, barricaded in a unit of the complex. The suspect reportedly cut himself with a knife and brandished a firearm toward himself when law enforcement attempted to approach, the sheriff’s office disclosed.
The standoff, which was ongoing for several hours, escalated when deputies heard a gunshot from inside the apartment around 11:30 a.m., although it remained unclear if the shot was directed at officers or if Kester shot himself at the time , stated Sgt. Amar Gandhi in a press briefing.
Authorities reported they were able to take Kester into custody later in the afternoon after several hours of negotiations and the use of non lethal weapons to gain entry into the unit.
According to previous Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reports, Kester was arrested on multiple counts of felony lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in a case which is now under Federal prosecution.
This article was updated at 2:50 p.m. after the suspect was taken into custody.